Miner s fuse



(N70 Mc del.)

I W. ELTBINGHAM.

MINERS FUSE. No. 280,158. Patented June 26, 1883.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE,

WILLIAM ELTRINGHAM, or MINERSVILLE, rrnuisrLVAn I MINERSFUSEL srnorrrcs'r'zon forming-part ofLetters 2m n: Neeaoncse; dated June as, 1883;;

To all whom it may concern.- g Be it known that I, WrLLmM ELTBINGHAM, of Minersville, in the county of Schuylkill and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Miners Safety Fuses; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, whichwill enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification, andtin which 1 Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of my improved safety-fuse, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lower part of the same with the touch paper removed.

l .3 Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both of the figures. My invention has relation to the fuses 0r squibs used by miners in blasting rock or coal;

and it consists in the improved construction of-the same,

' t'use.

jury to life or limb. V v a My improved safety-fuse is composed of a- I tube, A, made by as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, whereby I avoid a premature discharge of the blast, so that the fuse may be used with absolute safety, and without intwisting a piece of stout card-board into a spiral shape, as shown more fully-in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This tube is made slightly tapering, and is covered at its lower end, where it is inserted in theblasthole, by a cap of colored paper, B, so arranged that it can be readily torn oil, like the end of a paper cartridge, when it is desired to use the fuse for blasting. The card-board of which the fuse is made should be dipped or im mersed, either before or after making the tube, in a strong solution of alum, 01' some other composition by which it may be made fireproofiso as to resist penetration by sparks flying from the touch-paper in igniting the After the tube A has been filled "with powder and the bottom cap pasted over its enlarged lower end, the top part is covered with a thin diaphragm of tissne-paper, (shown at 0,)

which separates the top of the tube A from Application filed March 3, 1883. (N6 model.)

the touch-paper l), forming athin partition between-the powder contained in the tube and that which is contained in the spirally twisted 5t touch-paper D, which is, by preference, simply a piece of thin tissue-paper twisted so as to prevent the escape of the powder contained in it. By this construction of the fuse, with itsdiaphragm 0 between the base of the touch paper and the top of the fuse-tube, and by making the fuse-tube of material which is impermeable to sparks flying from the touchpaper, or from the candle or wick of the'miners lamp, it is impossible for the fuse to cause a premature explosion of the blast by flying sparks from the touch-paper before the charge is reached in its legitimate way-by way of the touch-paper and through the diaphragm G. x p In this class of fusesas ordinarily made it is well known that the construction of the tube of thin paper and card-board, and without any diaphragm between the touch-paper and powder-containing tube, is a frequent source of accident, caused by the premature ignition of the blast; but this is entirely prevented by the improved construction of my fuse, while the cost of its manufacture over the fuses ordi narily in use is merely nominal. Y 4 7 Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the,

United Statef I ,7 g

The herein-described safety'fuse or squib for blasting, the same consisting of the pow- 8o der-containing tube A and match for touch paper D, fixed upon the upper end ofvthe' tube,

said tube A having a transverse diaphragm,

C, of tissue-pa per or equivalent material, sepazuting the charge in the powder-containing 85* tube from its match or touch aper.

In testimony that I claim t 10 foregoing as my own I have hereunto affixed-my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VVI LLTAM l'l UlRlNGHAM.

Witnesses U. K. TAYLOR, DANn-n, Horn, 55:1 

